


Tigress

by FluffBuster



Category: Deadpool (2016), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Romance, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-02-28 11:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13270599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffBuster/pseuds/FluffBuster
Summary: (I am shit at descriptions - I'm not gonna promise the book is better than it though, although I hope it is) [Also, I am changing some details of the original plotline]Jaelyn Howlett is the only child of Logan Howlett.  Born as the spitting image of her father, she grows up with the same mutations as he did.  Growing up without a mother can do a lot to a child, but her father helped make up for it.  Constantly moving until a young fifteen year old stows away in their truck, and her estranged uncle attacks them, forcing them to be saved by the x-men.  Afterwards she finally finds a home, and gains a family that does not only consist of her father.  She grows up in the Mansion, and has helped save the world many times.  Along the way, meeting more mutants and gaining a new family.This is the story of Jaelyn Alesta Howlett, Tigress.Please note I have this posted on Wattpad and Quotev as well (Cameron Wayne)





	1. Chapter 1

Logan Howlett has experienced many pains in his long life, not only did he lose his first love and his first born child, but when he finally found another love, he lost her, again.  However, this time he was not left with nothing.  His love Maureen left him with a daughter before she passed.  The child was born in the year 1984.  After eleven and a half gruesome hours of labor, Maureen held her child for the first of few times that she would have in the coming year.  She decided to name her Jaelyn Alesta.  With eyes the color of moss, and hair the color of milk chocolate, she was an exact replica of her father.  Whether that was a good thing was yet to be decided.  When Logan held his baby girl in his arms for the first time, he vowed to protect her.  After the death of his wife, that vow had even more promise behind it.  After losing one child, and two loves, Logan refused to lose another person he cared about.  But nothing could protect her from the pain of her genetics, or the pain of her future.

\---------------

When Jaelyn turned seven, Logan learned the full extent that his genetics had on his daughter, and he hated himself  even more for it.  He was in the living room of their small, temporary apartment when he heard screams coming from his daughters small room across the apartment.  Fearing the worst, he extended his adamantium claws and ripped the door off of her room, only to find her bedset torn to shreds, and Jaelyn on the ground with three claws of bone protruding from above each of her hands.  After calming her, he taught her how to retract them.  He knew just how painful that the claws were, and hoped that she would only feel a tingle from extracting and retracting them very soon from getting used to the claws.

He had never expected his daughter to take after him as much as she did.  He knew that she had his looks from the time she was born.  He hoped to God that his looks and mutation were the only things of his that she would have.  Logan made a promise to protect his daughter from harm, but not even he could protect her from what was to come in the future.

\--------------------

And this is where our story begins.


	2. Chapter 2

Northern Alberta, Canada

;-;-;-;-;-;

Pulling up to an unknown bar, Jaelyn hops out of her Fathers R.V. and heads towards the doors. When she reaches them, she can hear the sound of people rooting for something, giving her an idea about why her father chose this place to stop at. She stops and waits for her father to catch up. Logan walks up to his daughter. "Ladies first." He teased as he opens the door for her to go in. Jaelyn rolls her eyes at her father, knowing that he has never exactly been one for chivalry.

"So why exactly are we here?" Jaelyn asks her father once they are inside. Logan doesn't say anything as he leads her around the corner, the rooting getting louder, until the step into a large open room and she can see a cage fight. Recognition flushes through her mind as she realizes why they came here. Jaelyn looks at her father. "Really?" she asks. Logan just looks down at her with a smirk.

;-;-;-;-;-;

Logan leans against the side of the cage, shirtless and sweaty, after his seventh round of fighting.  So far each one had been won. Blowing cigar smoke through the gaps of the cage, he hears the booing of all but one person in the crowd. As the announcer works up the crowd, Logan looks towards his daughter. She is at the front of the crowd, and the only person cheering him on, even though she knows that none of the fights are fair. She throws a smile at him, which he returns.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer calls out. "In all my years, I have never seen anything like this. Are you going to let this man walk away with your money?" At this the people in the crowd start to shout in protest. A burly, cocky looking man then enters the cage. "Our savior!" The crowd starts loudly cheering. Jaelyn looks over the man and smirks. Just because he looks tough, doesn't mean that he is going to beat her dad, after all, nobody has ever beaten him in the ring. As the man gets ready to fight Logan the announcer leans closer to him. "Whatever you do, don't hit him in the balls." He whispers to the fighter.

"You said anything goes." The man confusedly replies.

"Yeah, but... he'll take it personal."

After hearing this Jaelyn snickers, remembering the first time that night that her father got hit in the sack. The guy had what he got coming to him after that blow.

The man starts to make his way behind Logan's back. Logan watches his daughters eyes flicker to the spot behind him, letting him know, without using his heightened sense of smell, that the next fight is about to begin. Logan slightly braces himself for the first attack. The man kicks Logan's legs, and before Logan can fully turn around to fight back, he receives a punch to the gut. Right as he goes to make a move, he receives another hit to the gut and crumples to the ground. The man starts to kick Logan in the gut, and after the third strike, makes the mistake of kicking him in the balls. Jaelyn winces at the blow "Come on, Dad!" She calls out to Logan. Logan glances at her and gets up, right in time to see the man's fist coming his way. Logan throws out a punch and his knuckles collide with the man's causing a metallic clang. The man drops to his knees in agony, clutching his injured hand. Jaelyn starts to loudly cheer, as the rest of the crowd starts to boo again. Logan goes for another punch, stunning the man for a second, then head butts him. The man falls to the ground once again, but this time he does not rise. Jaelyn cheers victoriously as the bell rings and the crowd viciously boos. Logan cracks his neck, and stares down the booing crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's winner and still king of the cage... The Wolverine." The announcer announces monotonously.

Logan kicks the man's unconscious body as he makes his way back to the side of the cage closes to his daughter. He picks up his discarded cigar, and takes a puff of it, ignoring everyone in the crowd other than his not so little girl. Jaelyn raises an eyebrow at her father, who in turn rolls his eyes back at her. The guy deserved every last hit he got.

;-;-;-;-;-;

"How much did you get tonight?" Jaelyn asks her father as they make their way towards the bar.

"Enough." Logan gruffly responds. Jaelyn rolls her eyes at his answer. Sitting down at the bar, he pulls a cigar out of his pocket. "I'll have a beer." He tells the bartender. When Jaelyn sits down next to him the bartender looks her up and down, with a lustful look in his eyes. "And for the lil' lady?" He asks with a wink. Jaelyn scoffs incredulously and starts to think of all the ways that she can kill the man. Logan's eye twitches and he clenches his fists together in an effort to remain calm. "A coke for my daughter." He growls out with a malicious look in his eye. The bartender pales, and nods, quickly turning around to get the requested drinks.

"Can I kill him?" Jaelyn asks her father as she viciously stares at the pervy man.

"Not now. If he tries anything else, then yes." Logan replies back, also staring at the man with the same look his daughter has, if not worse. When the bartender returns with their drinks, the duo give him a look that would kill. The man quickly walks away in fear of the sixteen year olds father.

As Logan nurses his beer, and Jaelyn sips on her drink, they each sense someone looking at them. Logan ignores it, used to getting weird looks from people. Jaelyn, however, does not, and turns her head to the source of the stare only to see a girl who looks about her age. As soon as they make eye contact the girl looks away, causing Jaelyn to shrug and turn back to her drink, sitting in a comfortable silence with her father.

The man from the last fight walks up to Logan with one of his buddies, and taps him on the back.  Logan turns around and stares at the man with a blank expression. "You owe me some money." He tells Logan. At this Jaelyn turns around as well and glares at the man.

"Come on, Buddy, let's not do this" The man grabs his friends arm trying to lead him away, but he does not budge.

"No man takes a beating like that without a mark to show for it." He tries again. "I know what you are." The man whispers to Logan.

Jaelyn decides to speak up after that. "Dude, if you keep this up, your money isn't going to be the only thing you lost tonight." She snarls.

The man's friend tries to grab him again, this time was seemingly successful. But then he rips his arm out from his friends grasp and whips out a switchblade. "Look out!" The girl who was staring at the father and daughter cries out. Jaelyn quickly gets up and raises her fists and Logan rises and slams the man up against the wall, with two adamantium claws extended from his knuckles. A third claw slowly extends from in between the other two and stops just short of cutting the man's Adam's apple. The man fearfully stays still, as Logan stares him dead in the eyes.

Jaelyn hears the cocking of a shotgun, and her head instantly turns towards the noise, only to see one trained upon her father's head. Even more rage fills her system and she quietly makes her way behind the man, unsheathing her own claws of bone, just barely touching the back of the man's neck. "Don't even think about it." She growls out. Jaelyn feels the man tense up as she moves her hand forwards a small bit, causing her claws to slightly pierce the bartender's skin.

"Get out of my bar, freaks." The bartender yells out in terror.

Logan quickly looks at his daughter, then to the man and in one fast motion, extends his three claws from his other hand and cuts through the metal of the gun, causing it and the shells to split in half and fall to the floor in a heap of gunpowder and pellets. Jaelyn retracts her claws, and walks out, growling at the two men who just attacked her father. Logan does the same, and walks out of the bar, leaving the onlookers, and those involved in terror. Or at least, all but one.


	3. Chapter 3

"So where are we heading?" Jaelyn asks her father as she looks out the window at the passing scenery.

"South." Logan gruffly replies, not in the mood to deal with his daughters pestering.

"Okay, but where south?" Jaelyn looks over at her father who just incoherently grumbles something. Huffing, she looks out the window again. They continue driving for five minutes when they drive over a rather large pothole. "Did you hear that?" She asks her father. Logan nods and stops the truck. They both make their way out and towards the trailer on the back. Logan gives Jaelyn a look that tells her to prepare herself, causing her to ball up her fists.

Stepping closer to the tarp, Logan pokes it. When he feels something soft he rips off the tarp to reveal the young girl that Jaelyn saw in the bar. "What the hell are you doing?" Jaelyn questions the girl.

The girl starts to crawl out of the trailer. "I'm sorry. I needed a ride." She explains to the duo with a solemn look on her face. "I thought you might help me."

Logan rolls his eyes at that, and Jaelyn just stares with a blank expression. He isn't one to help, not anymore. It's just him, and his daughter. "Get out of 'ere." Logan snarls at the girl.

"Where'm I s'posed to go?" She responds incredulously. She was counting on this ride away from her problems.

"I don't know." Logan answers, as he walks back towards the truck with Jaelyn in tow.

"You don't know, or you don't care." The girl calls out to the duo.

Jaelyn turns around and starts to walk backwards. "You chose." She responds to the girl, then turns back around and starts towards the truck again.

The girl glares at the two. Why wouldn't they help her? It wasn't like she was asking for much from them. "I saved you lives!" She tries.

Logan shakes his head, knowing what is running through Jaelyn's mind. He is not about to help some teenager run away from home. He doesn't care that she left, even though if his own daughter ever ran away he would be devastated – not that he wouldn't blame her, but like hell he was going to help someone do it. "No you didn't." He calls out, because in all honesty, the two of them would have been fine. Sure it would have hurt like a bitch, but they always recovered. It wouldn't be the first time that he had ever been shot and 'died', and he hates it, but it also wouldn't have been the first time for Jaelyn as well. Getting back in the truck, he starts to drive off after motioning for Jaelyn to put on her seatbelt.

"Dad." She starts. "What if it was a bikini model?" Logan rolls his eyes at his daughter. "What if it was me?" Jaelyn asks her father.

Logan huffs and stops the truck. "Fine." He lets out. Damn his daughter for knowing how to pull on his heartstrings. The girl quickly runs and makes her way towards the truck. Jaelyn moves to the middle seat to make room for the girl with a smile.

The girl gives the duo a grateful smile before hunger catches up to her. After all, she hasn't had anything to eat since she left home. "You two don't happen to have anything to eat, do you?" Jaelyn nods her head at the girl and reaches towards the glove compartment. She pulls out some nabs and hands them to the girl.

"Have at it." Jaelyn tells the girl. She smiles in thanks and quickly devours the food that was given to her, to hungry to think about rationing them because she had no idea when she would get the chance to eat again.

The girl looks at Jaelyn and Logan, thankful for the fact that two strangers have allowed her to hitch a ride with them and feed her. So far, the only people who have allowed her rides have been pervy truck drivers, and they were not too generous. She was just glad that they did not ask her for anything in return for the ride, after all, she knew what the outcome would have been if they would have tried anything. "I'm Rogue." She says to the two after a moment of silence.

Jaelyn smiles at the girl – at Rogue. It's an unusual name, but she isn't one to judge. Unless someone's name is something extremely funny or stupid, like Francis. "I'm Jaelyn." She looks to her dad hoping that he will say something to the girl, or at least grunt out his name. He does neither. Just changes his grip on the steering wheel and stares straight ahead, ignoring the look his daughter is giving him. Jaelyn rolls her eyes at her father's asshole nature. "The big, hairy, brooding guy next to me is my dad, Logan." Logan scoffs at his daughter being a little shit like always and Jaelyn smirks. She absolutely loves it when she gets to do this to her dad. Him on the other hand, well he acts like he can't stand it, but in reality he actually loves it. It reminds him of her mother.

Rogue smiles at the girl and her teasing. Taking a closer look at the man next to her. She sees a single dog tag hanging from his neck. Looking closer she can see that it was worse for wear. Intrigued she decides to ask him a question that she hopes will get him to talk at least once and get rid of the awkward tension that is lingering in the air. "Were you in the army?" She asks motioning at his tag. Jaelyn tenses at that. If there was one thing her father did not like was talking about his past, and people trying to ask about a past that he cannot remember.

Logan glares at Rogue and pulls the tag inside his shirt. Jaelyn lets out a relieved sigh at this. In past experiences, her father has not been nearly as cool and collected, if you could even call his reaction that, as he was this time. Normally he would beat the shit out of said person. So at least they were making progress, either that or he wouldn't beat up on a kid. Probably the latter, now that Jaelyn thinks about it. Still feeling awkward, Rogue looks behind her at the back of the truck. It's pretty empty and basic. Just a set of bunk beds and a small kitchen unit that runs on propane. Realizing that these two don't have much she lets out a quiet wow. That finally gets Logan speaking.

"What?" Logan questions, confused at what the girl is surprised about.

"Suddenly my life doesn't look that bad." Rogue tells the two sympathetically. She had lived in a nice comfortable home most of her life, at least until she ran away due to the manifestation of her mutation. These two, they lived in a small and cramped camper. With no amenities and only the basic things to survive. She couldn't imagine how Jaelyn must have felt growing up like that.  Although she would imagine that she would have gotten used to it eventually.

Hearing this come out of Rogue's mouth sent a wave of anger through Jaelyn. She hated it when people judged her and her father. Sure they didn't live a nice life, but it was enough for her. After the death of her mother, all they had was each other, and to Jaelyn, that was all she needed. Would it have been nice for them to live in a nice house? Sure. But Jaelyn didn't care. After all, how could they even afford one? The only income they get is from hustling and fighting in cage fights. After all, Logan was a hot head, and his daughter took after him in that respect. And who would want to hire a mutant? Sure, they could each hide their mutations. But the moment one of them got hurt in some way shape or form, the injury would heal quickly. That would definitely raise a bunch of red flags. Even the burly cage fighter from the night before noticed that. And then there was their tempers. One wrong move could set of their instincts, and their claws may try to unsheathe. That would be the end of their freedom.

"Hey, if you prefer the road..." Logan speaks up, much calmer than his daughter at this point.

"No, no." Rogue denies as she rubs her hands together to keep warm. "It looks great. It looks... Cozy." She tells the two of them hoping to get out of any trouble that she may have caused. Logan and Jaelyn see the movement of her hands out of the corner of their eyes. Logan turns on the heat at this and Jaelyn grabs Rogues hand, coming close to touching her skin.

"Here, put your hands over the heater." Jaelyn tells the girl, most of her anger having dissipated by now. Rogue starts to squirm, causing Jaelyn to let go of her in confusion. "We ain't gonna hurt you." She tells the girl, thinking that that is why she started to squirm in her grasp. Jaelyn wondered if that is why the girl ran away. After all, abusive home, teenage runaway. It would make sense.

Rogue looks down at her hands in shame and then back to the father daughter duo. "It's nothing personal. It's just... When people touch my skin... Something happens."

"What?" Logan asks skeptically. Surely it couldn't be that bad.

"I don't know. They just get hurt." She tells the two.

"Fair enough." Logan and Jaelyn say at the same time. The two glare at each other.

Looking at the pairs knuckles, she remembers how claws extended from each the night before. "When they come out... Does it hurt?" She questions hesitantly, remembering how Logan reacted when asked about his dog tags.

The two look down at their knuckles. "Every damn time." Jaelyn decides to answer. It's a depressing thought really, feeling pain every time that her claws extend from within her knuckles, every time that she decides, or doesn't decide, to use a part of herself. On the bright side, she has extended them so much, it doesn't exactly hurt per say, it is more of a painful tingle. But that painful tingle is so much better than the pain she felt when she discovered her claws.

Logan, ever the asshole, decides to speak up, hoping to get everyone's mind off of their claws. "What kind of a name is Rogue?" He asks the girl. After all, it isn't everyday that you meet someone with a name like that.

Rogue is quick to the beat, and gives back her own snarky answer. "I don't know. What kind of a name is Wolverine?"

"Its Logan." He growls out, knowing that, thanks to his daughter, Rogue already knows this.

Rogue just smiles. "Marie." When she tells the two her real name, they all give a small smile. All awkward tension has gone by this point. Rogue looks over at the two again, now noticing that neither one is wearing a seatbelt. "Ya know, you should wear a seatbelt." Jaelyn chuckles at this, if only she knew.

Logan rolls his eyes. "Look, I don't need any advice..." He starts before a large tree falls directly onto the road, smashing down onto the truck. The sudden impact throwing Logan and Jaelyn out the windshield, each landing face down on the pavement, a distance away from the truck. Rogue, in shock doesn't move for a minute, but when she recovers, she starts to struggle, realizing that she is stuck. She hears the sound of a flame in the back of the truck and starts to panic, struggling and squirming, trying to escape the truck.

Recovering from the impact, the father and daughter each slowly get off of the ground and start to make their way towards the crashed truck. Logan has a gash on his forehead, and Jaelyn has one on her left cheek. Logan cracks his neck and Jaelyn keeps walking, as each of their injuries heal within seconds. Rogue forgot the danger that she was in as she watches the two heal instantly, fascinated. "Are you alright?" Jaelyn questioned as she got within ear range.

Still in shock, Rogue says nothing, only stares blankly at the two. "Kid, are you alright?" Logan calls out hoping to get a response out of her this time.

Finally snapping out of her daze, Rogue replies, "I'm stuck!" She starts to struggle to get out again. Logan makes his way around the tree as Jaelyn stays behind, looking around to try and find who did this. After all, this did not seem to be an accident. Sniffing the air, Jaelyn stiffens and extends her claws, right as Logan goes to step over the tree and get Rogue out. Logan, hearing his daughters claws quietly extend, does the same, his claws extending with a metallic sound as he starts to sniff the air as well.

Suddenly, Sabretooth leaps out of the air onto Logan, grabbing him and throwing him onto a nearby tree with a roar. Logan's body falls limply onto the top of the trucks hood, unconscious, causing his claws to involuntarily retract back into his body. Rogue starts to scream. Looking over at Jaelyn with an animalistic smirk, he charges at her, with his sharp nails. Jaelyn, however, doesn't back down, she runs right at him.

When the two meet, it's a power struggle. Sabretooth is trying to grab her or impale her with his nails, and Jaelyn is trying to stab him with her bone claws. "Whatcha gonna do, Uncle Vic, scratch me with your bag lady nails?" Sabretooth growls at this and swipes his hand at her face in anger, Jaelyn smirks and drops to the ground on all fours, kicking his legs out from underneath him. With an angry roar he falls to the ground. Jaelyn goes to imbed her claws in his back, but he quickly swipes her legs out from under her as well. Just as quick as he does that he gets up and stomps down on the claws on her right hand, causing her to scream out in agony.

"Oh, dear niece, when will you ever learn?" He smirks, using this moment to grab her and throw her aside, her head making contact with a nearby rock formation.

Jaelyn looks up at the truck with hazy vision, only to see that the snow started to fall even harder and that the flames in the truck were getting even higher. She blinks hard, and takes one last look and sees a man scare off Sabretooth with some sort of red beam, who then goes on to rescue Rogue. After that, she finally allows herself to give into unconsciousness, her claws retracting, just like her fathers had before.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up was normally a struggle for the young Howlett. However, this time was a bit different. After all, who wouldn’t wake up when they are bouncing up and down in somebody’s arms, it’s bound to happen. Jolting with a start, Jaelyn unsheathes her claws, ready to dismember whoever is running around with her. “Jaelyn!” Logan quietly yells. He may heal fast, but those claws hurt like a bitch no matter what. Smiling sheepishly Jaelyn retracts her bone claws as her father puts her down.   
“Where are they?” The two hear. Logan grabs Jaelyn’s arm and starts running in the opposite direction. How could he have allowed them to get kidnapped? “Where are you going?” A voice sounds in the two of their heads. Jaelyn and Logan look around animalisticly, wondering who the hell is talking and where the voice is coming from. Looking around, Jaelyn spots an open elevator and starts dragging her father to it. “Over here!” The voice whispers. Eyes wide, the two spin around trying to make sense of where the voice is coming from as the elevator doors close. As the elevator rises Jaelyn and Logan start to brace themselves for if something comes out at the two of them when it opens again. After all, in their lives, you can never be too careful.  
As the doors open, the twos enhanced hearing starts to pick up frequency, many voices and conversations hitting them at once. “Where are they?” One of the voices asks. Ducking behind a column, a herd of people pass by. Quietly and quickly, the two make their way towards what appears to be a door. Peeking around the edge of a corner and seeing nobody there, Jaelyn nods to her father to signal that the coast is clear. Instantaneously they bolt to the door and hopefully a safe spot where they can calm down and actually breathe. When they open the door they are met with about six faces, five of which are about Jaelyn’s age, the final face looking much older with a very uncanny resemblance to Patrick Stewart.   
The old guy stops mid sentence and looks up at the two of them with a smile. “Good morning, Logan, Jaelyn.” He nods at the two, smile growing even larger. Logan and Jaelyn were always prepared for anything, anything but this. The two just stare at the man. “Now I want your definition of weak and strong anthropic principles on Wednesday. That’ll be all.” He tells the people in the room. They all get up and a young girl turns around to grab her forgotten purse, then says goodbye to the ‘Professor’. So it’s a school… Jaelyn thinks. The girl, who Jaelyn now knows to be named Kitty, seriously, what is with these names, starts to run out of the room. Nothing unusual about that, until she runs straight through the solid door. At this Jaelyn’s eyes widen again. The two look back to the ‘Professor’. He holds up a textbook. “Physics.” He simply states. “Can I offer the two of you some breakfast?”   
Disregarding the man’s question, Logan speaks up. “Where are we?”  
“Westchester, New York.” The man comes out from behind his desk on a motorized wheelchair. Jaelyn eyes it for a second, then looks away. Looking back up at the man he finally introduces himself. “I’m Professor Charles Xavier.” Logan and Jaelyn stare at him blankly, prompting him to continue. “After you were attacked, my people brought you here for medical attention.” Xavier explains.  
“We don’t need medical attention.” Jaelyn snap at Charles.  
He nods. “Yes, of course.”  
A thought about Rogue hits her. Where’s the girl?”  
“Rogue? She’s here. She’s fine.” He explains.  
Jaelyn and Logan look at each other and then back at Xavier, each with a raised eyebrow. “Really?” Logan asks him skeptically. Then the door opens, and in comes two people, a man and a woman. The man is Caucasian, with brown hair and sunglasses with red lenses. What is this, the seventies? Jaelyn thought. The woman was of African origin with long white hair.   
The Professor speaks up. “May I present Ororo Monroe, also called Storm…”  
“Hello.” She greets the two kindly.  
“And Scott Summers, also called Cyclops.” He introduces the man. Scott holds out his hand to Logan to shake, but just receives a stare. Rolling his eyes, Scott turns to Jaelyn to shake her hand, but puts his hand down when Logan lowly growls at him in protest.   
Trying to break the tension Jaelyn speaks up. “So, Cyclops. What’s with that, you only have one eye under those glasses or somethin’?” She snarks. Scott glares at her through his glasses, and although it cannot be seen by anyone, they can all sense it.   
The Professor raises an eyebrow and tries to calm everyone down. “They saved your life.” He tells Logan and Jaelyn. The two share a look. They can take care of themselves, after all, nothing has been able to kill them, yet. “You’re at my mansion, a school for mutants. You’ll be safe here from Magneto.”  
“What’s a Magneto?” Logan asks the Professor.  
The Professor sighs as memories of his past with Magneto fly through his head. Some good, some bad. “A very powerful mutant who believes that a war is brewing between mutants and the rest of humanity. I’ve been following his activities for some time. The man who attacked you is an associate of his named Sa—“  
Jaelyn cuts him off. “Sabretooth.” The Professor, Ororo, and Scott just stare at her in shock. They were not expecting her to know of the feral mutant. “Yeah, we know of him. Apparently he is his brother,” Jaelyn points to her father, “and my Uncle. He’s a fucking dick.” Logan sneered throughout her explanation.  
Pointing to Ororo, Logan clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Storm.” He then looks to the Professor. “What do they call you? Wheels?” Jaelyn’s eyes widen at that, he doesn’t have to be a dick to the crippled man. “This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” He grumbles, grabbing his daughters arm and turning to leave. Cyclops is blocking the doorway. “Cyclops, right?” Logan asks before he roughly grabs him. “You want to get out of our way?” He growls. Cyclops, Scott, whatever the hell his name is, just looks over Logan’s shoulder, back at the Professor.   
Deciding now is the time to speak up, the Professor tries to convince the two to stay. “Logan. It’s been almost seventeen years, hasn’t it?” Logan and Jaelyn freeze, turning around to face the professor. Jaelyn just stands there, shocked. She knows of her fathers, mental gap, and the struggles and hardships he has felt because of it. After all, she was there for every nightmare that he couldn’t make sense of. “Toting your daughter around, moving from place to place, with no idea who you really are?”  
“Shut up!” Logan snarls. He doesn’t want to remember that he can’t remember. He doesn’t need the reminder.  
“Give me a chance. I may be able to help you find what you’re looking for.” The Professor tells Logan, hoping that this will get the two to stay. After all, where Logan goes, Jaelyn goes, and Logan would never pass up the opportunity to remember his life before the gap, before his daughter, before Maureen.  
“How do you know about his—“ Jaelyn starts to ask, only to be cut off by the Professors voice in her head.  
“The two of you are not the only ones with gifts.” The Professor tells the two mentally.  
The two, now extremely curious, stare at the Professor. “What is this place?” Logan asks him, finally calming down.  
The Professor smiles. “Anonymity is a mutant’s first defense against the world’s hostility.” He starts, then looks at Jaelyn as she looks down at the ground. Looking into her head quick, he can see flashes of her memories. Children running scared at a park, parents with eyes wide in fear, gaping at her when her scraped knees heal over almost instantaneously. “To the outside world, we’re only a school for the gifted. Cyclops, Jean, and Storm were some of my first students. I protected them, trained them to use their powers, and eventually, to train others to do the same.” Jaelyn looks up at the Professor at this, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. After spending her entire life as an outcast with her father, maybe she can finally be with more people like her, that she isn’t related to. “The students are mostly runaways, some of them with gifts so extreme that they’ve become a danger to themselves and to others. Like your friend Rogue, incapable of human contact, probably for the rest of her life. And yet, here she is, with others her own age, being accepted, not feared.” At this he looks directly at Jaelyn and smiles when he sees the hope in her eyes, knowing how much she craves to be accepted by others.   
“What will happen to her?” Jaelyn asks curiously.  
“Well, that’s up to her. Either she’ll rejoin the world an educated woman, or stay to become what my students have affectionately called the ‘X-Men’.” Jaelyn looks at her father, as if to say ‘What the hell is an X-Man?’ “But that’s just the public face of the school. The lower levels are another matter entirely.” The Professor begins again after hearing Jaelyn’s thoughts about what an X-Man was, leading them to an elevator that goes underneath the school. When the doors open again, they are all in a hangar in front of a large black plane.   
“When I was sixteen, I learned that I could control the minds of others, make them do or think whatever I wanted. Around that time, I met another young man, Erik Lensherr, who also had an amazing power. He could create magnetic fields and control metal. Convinced that humans would never accept up, he…” The Professor pauses at the painful memories of his old friend, “He grew angry and vengeful. He became Magneto.”   
“Magneto? What the hell sort of name is that?” Jaelyn laughs a bit.  
“What kind of name is Tigress?” The Professor raises an eyebrow at her, causing Jaelyn to immediately shut up. Logan snickers at this and remembers the conversation between himself and Rogue in the truck. The Professor continues to lead the two around. “Many powerful mutants are out there, and many of them do not share my respect for mankind. Without anyone to protect them, humanity’s days might be numbered. The three of them make their way back to the Professor’s office in silence. Logan and Jaelyn processing the information given to them by the Professor, and the Professor himself letting them process everything. When they get back into the office the Professor speaks up again. “I’ll make a deal with each of you. Give me forty-eight hours to find what Magneto wants with you, and I swear I’ll do all I can to help you piece together what you’ve lost,” he pauses to look at Logan, “And what you’re looking for.” He looks to Jaelyn as he finishes, hoping to God that the two will accept his offer.


End file.
